A Kent County sex offender told investigators he used his cellphone to look at child pornography so he wouldn't "go out and physically harm" children, according to court records.

Author:
John Hogan

Published:
12:52 PM EDT October 18, 2016

Updated:
6:48 PM EDT October 18, 2016

A Kent County sex offender told investigators he used his cellphone to look at child pornography so he wouldn’t “go out and physically harm" children, according to court records.

Daniel James Reynolds, 46, faces multiple charges, including three counts of possession of child sexually-abusive material, after police in September obtained a search warrant to check the contents of his phone.

The search was linked to an investigation into violations of the Sex Offenders Registration Act. Reynolds, who lists an address in Shelbyville, in 2000 was placed on the state registry for life. He was discharged from parole in May 2015 for sexually assaulting a child.

Reynolds is now accused of collecting child porn on his phone over a four-month period that culminated with his arrest last month.

“During my interview, he admitted he looked at child porn on his phone so he would not go out and physically harm any child,’’ Grand Rapids Police Detective Amanda Johnson wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

Reynolds apparently thought he’d wiped the child porn off his phone, but investigators from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force located images, court records show.

Reynolds last week was ordered to stand trial for unlawful posting of a message in an unrelated case in Grand Rapids. He’s accused of posting harassing messages in May.

He’s also charged with being a habitual felony offender for convictions going back to 1988. They include an August 2000 conviction in Kent County for second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor and a Februrary 1993 conviction for accosting children for immoral purposes.

Because of his prior convictions, Reynolds faces up to life in prison.

In asking for a high bond, Johnson said Reynolds was arrested three times within a month. “I believe that he is a danger to children in the community; he also lost his job because of these charges so that could intensify his need to seek a release,’’ Johnson wrote.

Reynolds is being held on a $100,000 bond. A condition of bond requires that he have no contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Reynolds will appear in Wyoming District Court Wednesday for a probable cause hearing on three counts of possession of child sexually abusive material, a four-year felony, and three counts of using a computer to commit a crime, which carries a seven-year term.